Method of making a punch and die mechanism



May 7, 1957 H. E. HOOE" METHOD OF MAKING A PUNCH AND D'IE MECHANISM Filegl June 7, 1954 INVENTOR. HUNTER 5. H00

METHOD OF MAKING A PUNCH AND DIE MECHANISM Hunter E. Hooe, Athens, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Royal McBee Corporation, a corporation of New York Application June 7, 1954, Serial No. 434,861

4 Claims. (Cl. 76-107) tion entitled Duplicating Punch, Serial No. 396,101,

filed December 4, 1953.

In former notching machines of this type, it was customary to make the notching punches as individual pieces. The individual punches were then assembled in the rnachine in register with the notching dies in the die plate.

nited States Patch t The difficulties encountered in mounting a plurality of punches to effect proper" registration with their associated die notch are readily apparent.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a novel form of punch and die mechanism for cutting a series of notches in the edges of a record card, wherein the punchesand-dies are fastened to each other andithus assure perfectregistration.

A further object of this invention is to provide a punch and die mechanism, wherein the punches are part of and joined to the same piece of material as the notching dies with which they are associated and thus insure perfect registration.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of forming a notching punch and die mechanism, wherein the punches and the die notches of said mechanism are simultaneously formed from a single piece of material by stamping the punches free from the remainder of the material to leave a resultant die notch, and wherein the stamping punch is stepped so as to first stamp the notching punches free from the die notches, and then shear an additional small amount of material from the die notches to provide relief clearance between the notching punches and dies thus formed.

Various other objects of the instant invention will become apparent from reading the following detail specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a bottom view of a punch and die assembly embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic View on an exaggerated scale illustrating an intermediate step in manufacturing the punch and die assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the stripper plate, shown as detached from the finger plate.

In the manufacture of a notching punch and die set as contemplated by the instant invention, first a series of slots 11 are formed in a flat rectangular piece of clock spring steel 10, the slots 11 being tapered in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. The slots 11 separate the material of the plate 10 into a plurality of parallel strips 12 connected only at their ends.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the plate 10 is positioned with 'the upper end thereof, as viewed in Fig. l, resting on a die 16. The two step punch 15 is actuated so that the main portion 17 thereof punches the ends 14 of the spring fingers 12 free from the body 10, and the step portion 18 'of the punch, which is shown on a greatly exaggerated scale, shears a further minute portion 19 from the plate 10 in order to provide proper clearance between the head 14 and the resultant notch 20 formed in the plate 10.

The spring fingers 12 are each bent away from the plane of the plate 10 at the point 21 where they join the main body of the plate 10.v The ends 14 of the strips 12, forming the punches of the assembly, are bent out of the plane of the remainder of the strips 12 in the manner indicated at 22a, whereby a shearing action is provided when the head 14 is forced through the notches 20 formed in the plate 10.

A stripper plate 22 is formed with a large rectangular central opening 29, approximately the same size as the area occupied by the surface of the spring fingers 12 on the punch and die plate 10 with the spring fingers 12 extending into the central opening 29. The stripper plate 22 is fastened to the plate 10 by means of a plurality of rivets 27 located between the bases of the spring fingers 12 and the edge of the plate 10 adjacent thereto. The side edges of the stripper plate 22 are bent outwardly away from the plate 10 in the manner indicatedat 23, and the forward edge thereof is similarly bent outwardly, asindicated at 24. The stripper plate is bent outwardly away from the plate 10 adjacent its mid-point, as indicated at 2 5, andthenbent inwardly toward said plate 10, as indicated at'26, whereby the portion of the stripper plate adjacent the notching zone "will be' parallel to, but spaced from, the plate 10 to provide a, clearance between said plates to permit the insertion of a record card therebetween. The forward edge of the plate 10 is bent away from the stripper plate, as indicated at 28, and cooperates with the outwardly bent portion 24 of the stripper plate 22 to provide a flared opening to facilitate the insertion of record cards into the notching zone of the assembly, whereby said cards may be notched by the notching heads 14 cooperating with the notching dies 20.

In the use of the above device, the assembly is fastened into a card notching machine and a record card is inseited into the flared opening between the stripper plate 22 and the punch and die plate 10. Suitable punch actuators depress the appropriate spring fingers 12 causing the associated notching punches 14 to pass through the notching dies 20 associated therewith and shear a notch in the edge of the record card.

From the foregoing description it may be seen that I have provided a punch and die mechanism which is easy and economical to manufacture, and wherein perfect registration of the individual punches and dies is assured since they are both formed out of, and constitute part of, the same piece of material.

It is further evident that by the use of a stepped punch to separate the punch portions 14 of the spring fingers 12, the step portion of the punch cuts an additional minute portion 19 from the notches 20 thus formed in the plate 10 to provide proper relief clearance between the punches 14 and the notching dies 20.

It is also evident that by bending the head or punching portion 14 of each of the spring fingers 12 out of the plane of the remainder of the finger, a shearing action is provided when the punching heads 14 are passed through the notching dies 20, since the heads 14 will be at an angle thereto.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. The method of making an integral notching punch and die mechanism comprising cutting a plurality of elongatedparallel slots in a flat plate, punching one end of '-the,strips between said slots free fromthe-rernainder of said plate to form a plurality of spring finger punches, relieving the resultant notch in said plate to provide a minute clearance between the free ends of said fingers and said notches, and bending said spring fingers slightly out of the plane of said plate at the point where they join said plate.

2. The method of making an integral notching punch and die mechanism comprising cutting a pluralityof elongated parallel slots in a fiat plate of spring material punching one end of the strips between said slots free from the remainder of said plate to form a plurality of spring finger punches, relieving the resultant notches in said plate to provide a minute clearance between the free ends of said fingers and said notches, bending said spring fingers slightly out of the plane of said plate at the point where they join said plate, and bending the free ends of said fingers slightly out of the plane of the remainder of said fingers whereby the free ends of said fingers will provide a. shearing action when passed through said notches.

3. The method of making an integral notching punch and die mechanism comprising cutting a plurality of elongated parallel tapered slots in a flat plate of spring steel, punching the ends of the strips adjacent the wide ends of said slots free from the remainder of said plate to form a plurality of spring finger punches, relieving the resultant notches in said plate to provide a minute clearance between the free ends of said fingers and said notches, bending said spring fingers slightly out of the plane of said plate at the point where they join said plate, and bending the free ends of said fingers slightly out of the plane of i the remainder of said fingers whereby the free ends of said fingerswill provide a shearing action when passed through said notches.

4. The method of making an integral notching punch and die mechanism comprising cutting a plurality of elongated parallel tapercd slots in a flat plate of cl ck spring steel, punching the ends of the strips between said slots adjacent the Wide ends of said slots free from the remainder of said plate to form a plurality of spring finger punches, relieving the resultant notches in said plate to provide a minute clearance between the free ends of said fingers and said notches, bending said spring fingers slightly out of the plane of said plate at the point where they join said. plate, bending the free ends of said fingers slightly out of the plane of the remainder of said fingers whereby the free ends'of said fingers'will provide a shear-,

ing action when passed through said notches, forming a large generally rectangular aperture in a second plate, said second plate having the same dimensions as said first plate, forming a plurality of notches in one edge of said aperture, said notches being slightly larger than the notches in said first plate, attaching said second plate to said first plate adjacent the side thereof toward which saidfingers are bent with thenotches of said second plate in register with the notches in said first plate, and bending said second plate slightly away from said first plate adjacent the mid-portion thereof to provide clearance between said plates adjacent the notches therein to permit insertion of a card therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,323,949 Vosburg July 13, 1943 2,619,843 Lange Dec. 2, 1952 2,630,863 Hooe Mar. 10, 1953 2,684,715 Myers July 27, 1954 

